The website of Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV reports today that Washington has placed the "Waad Project," which the website described as a Lebanese construction firm, under "Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism," adding it to its list of terror organizations.
It reported that U.S. Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey said, "The Waad Project is another example of Hezbollah's use of deceptive tactics to support its military and terrorist apparatus."
According to Al-Manar, the Waad Project has been working on rebuilding Beirut’s southern suburb Dahiye after Israeli fighter jets and warships destroyed housing during the 2006 Lebanon war.
It said that the project was founded after Washington included the Hizbullah-run institution Jihad Al-Bina on its terror list in February 2007.
Al-Manar reported that the U.S. Treasury statement claimed that the Waad Project built Hizbullah's underground weapons storage facilities and parts of its military infrastructure in Lebanon.
It quoted the statement as saying that "The Waad Project had tried to hide its affiliation with Hizbullah, just as Jihad Al-Bina used deceptive means to seek funding projects from international development organizations. Additionally, the general manager of the Waad Project has stated that donors to the Waad Project have wished to remain anonymous because Hizbullah is a terrorist organization and they preferred not to be identified due to the risks of dealings with a terrorist group."
The website said that under EO 13224, any assets held by the Waad Project under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and American citizens are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the project.
Source: Almanar.com.lb, January 7, 2009
